5 Great Total Body Exercises

Sorry for the lack in blogging, again, I was gone the past 2 weeks on vacation. I'm back though, and hopefully I can keep up (life is crazy this summer!) with the blog now. I thought I would post some GREAT total body exercises that work multiple muscles so you get the benefits of 1) maximizing your time, 2) keeping your heart rate elevated to burn more calories, and 3) challenging your body. The best way to weight train is "power circuit training" in which you do a total body workout, not resting in between sets, and combining muscles together (esp legs with arms). This method of training is especially effective in burning MAJOR calories and losing body fat at the same time as increasing lean muscle and tone.

1. Walking lunges with lateral/front shoulder raises. Pretty much everyone knows how to do a lunge, but to really challenge yourself, and to kill two birds with one stone, hold 3-8 lb. dumbbells while doing a walking lunge. As you come down into a lunge, raise your arms straight out to the side to shoulder heigth (elbows slightly bent). When you've done 20 or so, turn around and repeat, only this time, raise arms straight out to the front, shoulder heigth. WORKS LEGS AND SHOULDERS.

2. Plie squat with bicep curl. While holding 8-12 lb. dumbbells, stand in a wide stance toes pointed out (you know, ballet stance). Hold the weights in between your legs to avoid hitting them on your legs. Squat down to a 90 degree angle at the knee with hips/glutes tilted back (like sitting in a chair) and torso slightly leaning forward (but not rounding your back). Make sure to keep heels planted on ground to avoid knee pain and to activate glutes better. As you come up from a squat, do a bicep curl. Do 25-35 reps. WORKS LEGS ESP INNER THIGHS/GLUTES AND BICEPS.

3. Step-up with medicine ball/weight twist. Stand to the side of a bench or step holding a 8-12 lb. medicine ball or dumbbell/weight at your waist. With one leg on the bench (remember bench should be to your side), step up bringing opposite knee up (the one on the ground) and at the same time twist weight/ball to outside hip (not the leg on the bench). Make sure to hold abs in tight as this will challenge your balance too. Do 15-25 reps/each side. WORKS LEGS AND ABS.

4. Push up/Row combination. With 8-10 lb. dumbbells, get into a push-up/plank position holding the weights on the ground (wider than shoulder width). Do a push-up and then bring one arm back, elbow bent, squeezing the shoulder blade back. Repeat push-up and then alternate other arm. This is a very challenging exercise, but awesome! Make sure to hold your abs in tight too, not to let your lower back "droop" and you might want to have a wide stance with your feet too. Do 15 reps/each side (for a total of 30). WORKS CHEST, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS, BACK, AND ABS.

5. Ball bridge with tricep press. With 5-10 lb. dumbbells, sit on stability ball and walk feet out so that you're laying on ball with only your upper back on ball. Raise arms straight above your head and bring hips up into a bridge. At the same time you lower your hips/glutes down towards ground, bend your elbows so dumbbells come behind your head (keep elbows stablized so only your lower arm is in motion) and then extend arms the same time you raise your hips. Do 20-30 reps. WORKS GLUTES, HIPS, HAMSTRINGS, AND TRICEPS.

Try these out and tell me what you think!!!!